David Price fell one category short of winning the pitching triple crown. / Kim Klement, US PRESSWIRE

by Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports

by Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports

David Price fell one category short of winning the pitching triple crown. That was good enough to earn the bigger prize, the American League Cy Young Award.

The Tampa Bay Rays left-hander edged out defending winner Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers to claim the Cy Young after finishing first in the league in wins with a 20-5 record â?? same as the Los Angeles Angels' Jered Weaver â?? and tops in ERA with a career-best 2.56 mark.

"It means a ton. This is very humbling," Price said. "My legs are shaking right now.''

Price received 14 first-place votes for 153 points in balloting by the Baseball Writers Association of America, just four points ahead of Verlander's 13 first-place votes and 149 points. Weaver finished third with 70 points.

The four-point differential is the closest of any election since ballots permitted voting for more than one pitcher in 1970.

Price, 27, was a model of consistency throughout the season, as he had a winning record in every month except May, when he went 2-2, and posted an ERA below 3.30 in every single month. He also finished strong, going 9-1 with a 2.27 ERA after the All-Star break, including 4-0 with a 2.68 ERA in September as Tampa Bay made a late, failed push for the playoffs.

"My last three starts this year I really felt like I figured out something with that changeup and the curveball,'' he said. "It made it a lot better.''

Just enough for him to edge out Verlander.

"Anytime you're in a conversation with Justin Verlander, you know you're doing something right,'' Price said. "I hope we can have more Cy Young races like this.''

Price, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, is the first Rays pitcher to win the Cy Young.

He had to put up impressive numbers to wrest it away from Verlander, who was a major factor in the Tigers repeating as AL Central champs by going 17-8 with a 2.64 ERA and leading the league in strikeouts (239) and innings pitched (238 1/3).

He had a sizable advantage in those last two categories over Price, who ranked sixth in the league with 205 strikeouts and eighth in innings pitched at 211. Weaver, who had a 2.81 ERA, struck out 142 in 188 2/3 innings.

Price's opponents' on-base-plus-slugging percentage of .602 ranked second only to Verlander's .601, and they tied with 25 quality starts each, an indication of how close this race was.